Persons who drive for extended periods of time are often troubled by the effects of the sun. Automobile and/or truck drivers experience serious sunburn on their faces, necks, arms and hands as a result of prolonged exposure to sunlight which enters the vehicle through openings, such as the driver's side window and windshield.
Drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel in order to properly maneuver their vehicles. The sun frequently damages the driver's exposed skin, such as the side of the body adjacent to the window and the top portion of the arms and hands, including the knuckles. Such effects are also experienced by the driver through the passenger's side window. In vehicles having open sides, such as jeeps, the aforementioned effects are even more pronounced and problematic.
In the past, hats or broad rimmed sombreros have been used to shield their wearer from the sun or rain. However, such items do not provide wearers with protection on the arms or hands, which are the body regions most directly exposed to sunlight while driving. Hats having wide rims are cumbersome to wear while driving, especially in vehicles having minimal headroom. If wind enters the vehicle it is often problematic to keep hats or sombreros in place on the head.
Capes or scarves have also been used for protection from the weather. However, such items are bulky and difficult to secure to the user. Wind entering a vehicle frequently moves such devices from their proper position and may even blow them completely off the user. Scarves may have to be encircled about the driver's neck several times in order to keep them in place. This causes discomfort in the form of heat or skin irritation in the skin areas contacting the scarf As stated above, drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel in order to properly maneuver their vehicles. Thus, long capes which are worn loosely about the body do not offer protection for the user's hands or arms, since such capes easily slide off the user's arms as he/she raises them for the proper driving position.
Hats or headbands having capes or cloth like materials affixed thereto have been devised to cover the front or back of the wearers' face and neck. Such items may cover the wearer's hair or shoulders. However, the devices used in the past do not address the need for covering a driver's face, shoulders, arms and hands, particularly, the side of the upper body exposed to the sun through windows while seated in a vehicle as driver or passenger. Prior caps or headgear with hanging shields do not provide any coverage or protection for the arms and hands, especially the sides of such limbs most exposed to the weather while a person is seated in a vehicle. Moreover, such items are difficult to maintain in place about the user's head when the user is exposed to wind forces through vehicle windows or openings.
In summary, the devices used in the past, such as hats and capes or capes secured to headgear, completely fail to provide drivers with suitable protection against the effects of the sun while driving. The items heretofore devised for weather protection do not contemplate the problems faced by drivers who are exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time on road trips. The prior items are difficult to secure to the user and maintain in place. Moreover, they do not cover the exposed side of the upper body in vehicles or the user's arms and hands. Hence, there is a need to protect persons from the harmful effects of the sun while driving or travelling in vehicles where the upper body is exposed to sunlight. This need is met by the sun protection device of the present invention.